Clash of the Heroes
by DracoCharizard87
Summary: Knuckles gets tricked by Eggman into stopping Sonic... again.
1. Chapter 1: Malicious Lies

**DRAGON HEROES**

Alrighty, we've got another adventure, and this time Knuckles jumps in, but not initially for what we had hoped for! Read and find out what will happen in this adventure!

* * *

 **Clash of the Heroes  
**

 **Chapter 1 – Malicious Lies  
**

Knuckles the Echidna spent the night in solitude guarding the Master Emerald on the altar of the Angel Island. It had been years since he last heard from his friends, but he does not care as he preferred being alone than being under the company of others. All the same, he did not want them to see his face as he had a noticeable scar in his right eye and another close to his left eye, as a result from the countless fighting he had been engaging in, even during the times of peace. At first it bothered him that his face was partially disfigured, but as time went on, he does not mind anymore and thought it made him look much tougher than before.

Looking up to the stars, he sighed as he thought deeply to himself, but not before checking on the Chaos Emerald that had been resting next to the Master Emerald. Both gems glowed brightly, making the area appear colourful.

"Now this is the life," he said. "Peace and quiet, nothing but me and the gems, and the beautiful sight they're giving to the island."

But little did Knuckles know that his peace was about to be disrupted. While he relaxed and stretched his arms out, a sinister robot was looming above, accompanied by the familiar Eggmobile piloted by Doctor Eggman. As the mad scientist eyed Knuckles, he grinned maliciously, knowing just what his plan was going to be.

"There he is, Sharkinator," he said to his robot. "And look, he's got the last Chaos Emerald! This will be perfect for setting up the stage to finally get rid of that meddling hedgehog and obtaining all the Chaos Emeralds!"

"It's no doubt that you are brilliant with executing plans, doctor," replied Sharkinator.

"Now then," began Eggman. "You are the swiftest of the Robot Masters, and I trust that you will not fail this mission like Metal Mantis and Cybird."

"Absolutely, Eggman," said Sharkinator. "I've heard about their defeat at the hands of Sonic and the dragons, and I am prepared to avoid making the same errors that led them to their destruction."

"Excellent," said Eggman as he evilly rubbed his hands together. "Prepare to distract the echidna, and once he's at the right spot, I'll do the rest!"

Without suspecting anything, Knuckles continued to gaze up to the sky. Suddenly, he heard a strange noise. Alerted, he readied his fists.

"Hey! Who goes there?" he asked sharply. "That better not be you, Rouge! If you're here to cause trouble, then you'll have to talk to my fists! Come out, wherever you are!"

But there was no reply. Just then, an unidentifiable shadow zoomed through the area and swiped the Chaos Emerald in front of Knuckles' eyes.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he yelled as he gave chase. "Stop right there, you thief! You really are asking for it! Get back here with the Chaos Emerald now!"

Knuckles continued running after the thief, but the figure was zipping so fast, that soon the echidna lost trail of it. He scoured around the island forest irritably, trying to find the thief.

"Where, where did he go?" he asked to himself. "I swear, when I get my hands on that creep, I'm gonna…"

"Lost something?" echoed a voice.

Stunned and bewildered, Knuckles looked around, but found no one in sight. He assumed that the voice belonged to the thief, but then considered that it could not be as he had disappeared, and he faintly recalled hearing that voice from somewhere before.

Soon, from out of the darkness emerged a tall rotund old human with a pointy nose, a bushy grey moustache and goggles in his eyes. Although he looked very different as he had a glass dome on his head revealing his brain preserved in a greenish-blue fluid, Knuckles quickly recognised him.

"Eggman?" he asked in disbelief. "No, it can't be! You were dead!"

"Yes, it is me, Knuckles," replied Eggman. "And it's a long tale regarding how I'm still alive."

Knuckles glared at the doctor. "What are you up to this time?" he asked harshly.

"Oh, nothing, really," said Eggman. "However, I couldn't help but notice that you were searching for, oh, I don't know, a Chaos Emerald, perhaps?"

And with that, Eggman displayed from his pocket a shining Chaos Emerald.

"That's the Chaos Emerald that thief stolen!" exclaimed Knuckles. "Give it to me right now!"

"Hold on a second there, Knuckles," smiled Eggman. "Surely you should know that I happened to have grabbed it from the thief who took off with it. I wouldn't give it to you just yet, unless you want Sonic to get his hands on it."

"Say what?" asked Knuckles. "You mean Sonic's back? How do you know that?"

Eggman grinned. "Why, yes he is back," he continued in a polite manner. "But he's way in over his head, wanting to have more power, so he decided to start hunting for the Chaos Emeralds, if only I could have stopped him."

Knuckles felt puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

"As you may or may not know, I have turned over a new leaf," lied Eggman as he tried to appear as sincere as possible so Knuckles could believe him. "I am now trying to use my brilliant genius to make this world a better place, but the hedgehog is in the way and is devoted to gaining power so he can bring it to ruin. Of course, what do you expect from a criminal mastermind like Sonic?"

"What?!" spluttered Knuckles as he angrily clenched his fists. "That son of a…!"

"That's the spirit, Knuckles!" encouraged Eggman. "Be aggressive and ruthless! Sonic is not to be underestimated! He's already got two of the Chaos Emeralds, and you better get them from him and make sure he is completely incapacitated!"

"I'm going to see to it that the blue bastard will not get away with this!" seethed Knuckles. "He has really done it now, and he is going to pay, big time!"

As Knuckles scurried away, Eggman watched with a devilish smirk on his face and he turned to the Master Emerald.

"What a foolish and gullible echidna," he chuckled to himself. "He was just too easy to deceive! It pays to be a good manipulator, and while he is distracted trying to dispose of Sonic, I shall be taking the Master Emerald. This will give the Death Egg indestructible power, and I will become the supreme ruler of not only this world, but the entire galaxy!"

Laughing maniacally, Eggman approached the Master Emerald and prepared to steal it from the altar.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Oh dear, Knuckles has not overcome his gullibility and still has not learned from his experiences with Eggman. Like they say, "old habits die hard." Let's see what happens next in the next chapter.


	2. Chapter 2: The Challenge of Knuckles

**Chapter 2 – The Challenge of Knuckles  
**

The birds were chirping happily as the sun shone brightly during the day, and the dragon village was much active than ever. Since the affair with the snare drum and magic shako, Bowser began to spend more time with Draco, and Cynder balanced the times she would hang out with him and then teach Ash. The Charizard felt much more at ease now that he got to spend more time with his beloved ones.

It was a lovely morning, and Lily, with the help of Amy, has served a large breakfast, for Jimmy, the Kremlings, and even the Daring Dragon Dynamos stopped by to visit their friends, though Charonus and Jeremy were staying at the Anthro League. While everyone was enjoying breakfast, Draco, Darky, Bowser and Percival told them all about their adventure from yesterday.

"And after taking in Bowser and Draco's advice with so much thought, I've learned not to let others push me around and denounce my faith," said Percival. "I know that I should be proud of where I stand, and what others might say has more to do with them than it is to do with me."

"Sounds like you really learned something from the whole experience, Percival," said Jimmy. "But at least, everyone understood what you and Draco had been going through, and it's good to see them trying their best to make compromises so the both of you would be satisfied."

"Well, Bowser's been giving me the time I needed from him," said Draco. "He and I talked things over last night after we gave the shako and snare drum to the museum."

"I wish I could have seen them," said Klump. "Being a former general of the Kremling Krew, I would lead the Kritter troops to march back when we used to invade Kongo Island."

"Even though we could have kept it, it was definitely for the best," replied Percival. "After nearly losing the shako and snare drum to Eggman's Robot Master, we couldn't afford to allow the chance that another one, or even the Pyre Squad, to steal it, since next time we might not be so lucky."

As Tails was munching on his bowl of macaroni and cheese, he was taking a look at his phone, watching his avatar playing the guitar with the Nightriders. He found the app very amusing. Just then, his phone started to ring, and it was from a rather mysterious number.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hello, Tails," replied a deep and suspicious voice. "Just thought I'd let you in that you'll be having a visitor coming to your base of operations. I suggest that you have the two Chaos Emeralds in your possession ready for display when he arrives."

"What do you mean?" he asked. "Who are you, and who is this visitor you're speaking of? As a matter of fact, why should the Chaos Emeralds be on display?"

"Let's just say that he happens to be an old friend of yours, somewhat," replied the voice. "I won't be revealing anything more information, as this is going to be a surprise for you, Blaze and Sonic. All I know is that he is extremely eager to see you three again, and possibly even get acquainted your dragon friends, which I guarantee."

And with that, the call ended, leaving Tails feeling very puzzled. Blaze and Sonic could only wonder what was going on.

"I don't know about this," said Blaze. "This setup seems very fishy to me, and I've a hunch that this could actually be a trap or something."

Tails picked up the Chaos Emeralds and looked at them, pondering on whether he should leave them on the table so they could be on sight for the mysterious visitor.

"Don't worry about it, buddy," said Sonic. "If this guy, whoever he is, comes to do something with the Chaos Emeralds, I'm going to show him that no one can best me and my speed."

Everyone gathered around as they looked at the Chaos Emeralds.

"These are really beautiful gems," remarked Zippy. "I can only imagine on what kind of mystical power they must contain."

"Believe me, Zippy, they are extremely powerful," said Sonic. "And when all seven are collected, it enables me to ascend to a stronger form."

"Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, Sonic," said Tails. "We need to get the other five emeralds first, hopefully before Eggman takes them to his, well, you know."

"That egg belly won't be able to accomplish his dream as long as I'm around!" declared Sonic. "Once we've outsmarted him and got all of them in our possession, he will be history!"

From a distance, just outside the dragon village, Knuckles was hiding in the bushes after being shown the way with the help of Sharkinator, who had the location on his memory after receiving it from Cybird earlier before his destruction. Although he did not grasp everything from the discussion, he was able to pick up what Sonic had been saying, and as he remembered Eggman's words, the echidna came to the conclusion that what the doctor said was true.

"So, Sonic plans to use the Chaos Emeralds to overthrow Eggman and then rule the world," he said to himself as he felt his anger swelling inside of him. "Not if I have anything to say about it, and the rest of his collaborators shall pay as well!"

Pounding his fists, Knuckles stomped forward towards the village. The group were still chattering away, so he figured that he would have to bring their attention to him.

"YOU!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

This made everyone turn around and face their new arrival. While the dragons and the kremlings had never met the red scar-faced echidna, Sonic, Tails and Blaze instantly recognised the visitor.

"Knuckles!" exclaimed Tails cheerfully. "It has certainly been a long time, old friend! What brings you here to the dragon village?"

Cynder, however, noticed that there was something in Knuckles' expression that hinted that he was not there for a friendly greeting. "Just a minute, Tails," she said quickly. "There's something not quite right about this."

"Hey, no need to be so paranoid, Cynder," said Tails. "Knuckles may seem a little intimidating, especially with those scars in his face, but he's a good guy and at times will help us out whenever we need him, isn't that right, Knuckles?"

"Shut your mouth, Poindexter!" snapped Knuckles. "I'm not in the mood to hear your boring rambles about me, you babbling nerd!"

Tails was shocked and offended by Knuckles' harsh words, and then, without wasting a second, Knuckles charged towards the village, ready to attack everyone.

"I'm coming after you, Sonic!" he shouted as he set his sights on the blue hedgehog.

Quickly, Sonic jumped out of the way, and Knuckles knocked the table over. Food flew everywhere, and the dragons were bewildered at what was going on.

"Holy smokes!" exclaimed Jeremy. "That's one mad echidna!"

"What do you say, shall we teach this crasher some manners?" asked Torden as he wanted to give Knuckles a piece of his mind.

"No, there's no need," said Tails grimly, knowing all too well what it meant. "Leave this to Sonic. It seems that Eggman has tricked him again."

"Tricked him, how?" asked Draco.

"Knuckles is a very gullible echidna and takes everything he hears to heart," replied Tails. "It's no doubt that Eggman must have told him lies about us in order to make him fight Sonic and get the Chaos Emeralds for him. It always happens, and it's been like this since the first time we met Knuckles."

"Then we better do something!" said Lily. "We should tell him that he was deceived by Eggman!"

"It's not going to be easy," said Blaze. "Once Knuckles is riled up, there is no way you can be able to reason with him, and the only thing we could do now is let him and Sonic have their pointless altercation."

Knuckles glared angrily at Sonic, who just faced him with a displeased look on his face.

"Alright, Sonic, this is it!" he growled. "The jig is up! We're going to have it out, you and me, in a one-on-one fight!"

"Tell me, Knuckles," said Sonic. "What bogus story has Eggman told you about me this time?"

"Don't play coy with me, you loathsome clown!" bellowed Knuckles. "I've had it with you! I know your plot with the Chaos Emeralds, as Eggman has warned me, and I'm going to make sure that is never going to happen! You disgust me! You blue spiky-haired swine!"

"And just how do I disgust you?" asked Sonic.

"Well, how about that I'm all by myself in the Angel Island guarding the Master Emerald, while you do nothing but coast through life and seeking pleasure like the miserable little worm that you are!" said Knuckles. "I dedicate my life to my duty, yet I have never been credited as a hero or for what I contribute! You, on the other hand, are nothing but a joke! Yet, you accomplished much more than I could ever dream of, and saved my life and my island. If there's one trait that I have which you obviously lack, it is honour, and you stole it from me! You even robbed me of my dignity and pride! Now that you have plans to take over the world, this is moment that I've been waiting for so long, to finally get my due, and make you repay your debts to me!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** It looks like Sonic and Knuckles are going to have yet another duel! Talk about deja vu! Can Sonic make Knuckles see sense? And what will become of the Chaos Emeralds? The next chapter shall reveal more!


	3. Chapter 3: Sonic vs Knuckles

**Chapter 3 – Sonic vs. Knuckles  
**

Sonic realised that things were going to get uglier between him and Knuckles, and he knew that the village would be trashed if they began their fight right there and then. He had to come up with a plan quickly so that they could take care of their business without hurting anyone.

"Alright, fine, I will fight you, Knuckles," he conceded. "But we're going to have to settle the conflict somewhere else. This isn't a good place as I can't afford to have anyone unfortunate to be in the way to get hurt."

"What are you doing, you two?" exclaimed Tails as he stepped in between his two old friends. "Don't you realise that this may be something that Eggman wanted? It would be better that you solve this pointless argument with words."

"Move out of the way, Tails," warned Sonic.

"No, I won't," said Tails. "If you're going to fight Knuckles, you'll have to go through me first!"

Sonic flinched, but he knew there was no other way around. "Then I'm really going to have to do this," he said as he reluctantly started to perform his Super Spin Dash.

Tails, Blaze, and even Knuckles were surprised as Sonic continued to charge up his attack as that would mean he would hurt his two-tailed fox friend.

"Oh, no, he wouldn't!" gasped Draco. "He can't knock out Tails!"

"It looks like he's going to," said Cynder. "I'm afraid he's done for."

As Sonic charged up his Spin Dash even more, Tails could only look at him in disappointed and sighed as he finally stepped out of way. At last, Sonic stopped charging, seeing just how sad Tails was.

"I'm really sorry, Tails," he said.

"Yes, so am I," replied Tails. "I know a place where you two can have your fight. Follow me."

"Tails, let me come with you," said Blaze. "It would be unbearable for me if anything happens to you from the fight."

"No, Blaze," said Tails. "This would make me more worried for your safety, and besides, the others will need your help protecting the two Chaos Emeralds if Eggman comes in and tries to swipe them."

"Very well, if you insist," said Blaze. "Just please be careful."

"I'll do my best to keep my distance," promised Tails. "At least you could assist them in cleaning up the mess Knuckles made when he charged in."

Blaze nodded, and joined in with the Jimmy, the dragons, and the Kremlings as they were tidying up while Tails led Sonic and Knuckles out of the village.

"So what's happening?" asked Jeremy.

"Sonic and Knuckles are going to have their duel," said Blaze. "Tails is leading them someplace away from here, and I'm going to help you guys clean up."

"What about the Chaos Emeralds?" Jimmy asked.

"We're going to have to keep them guarded, in case Eggman shows up," said Blaze. "Now then, let's hurry up and sort out this mess."

* * *

After a short while of flying through the forest, Tails finally saw a small clearing ahead, and recognised it as the same place where the dragons had their big battle with Ash. He then looked behind his back to make sure that Sonic and Knuckles were close behind him.

"Here we are, guys," he said. "This wide open area in the woods is the perfect place to fight since you won't have to worry about smashing through the trees."

"Humph!" snorted Knuckles. "I couldn't care less about the state of the forest. All I want to do now is give Sonic the most brutal beating he will ever get!"

"Man, you sure don't have any mercy, buddy," said Sonic.

"Of course I'm not going to show any mercy!" declared Knuckles. "And I'm not your buddy, don't forget that!"

Sonic and Knuckles assumed their positions as they stood at opposite ends of the area. They stared at each other, filled with determination to best each other. In a split second, Knuckles made a rush towards Sonic.

"You're going down!" he shouted as he delivered a flurry of punches. Sonic dodged each and every one of them, but then Knuckles managed to land a hit on the hedgehog.

"Oof!" he groaned.

Knuckles then grabbed Sonic, kneed him on the stomach, and kicked him to the ground. Sonic got up and noticed Knuckles chasing after him, so he quickly ran to the other direction to fully recover. He then returned with some kicks, but Knuckles blocked them back with his own and did a backwards flip. Landing to the ground, the echidna did a side kick, which Sonic evaded by ducking down and rolling over with his Spin Dash. Knuckles delivered a violent headbutt, successfully hitting Sonic, and he punched him repeatedly on the stomach. As soon as Sonic recovered, he was able to grab both of Knuckles' fists before he could hit him again and kneed him twice on the head before kicking him into a tree.

"How do you like that?" he gloated.

Seething with anger, Knuckles got up and front flipped his way towards Sonic. They were now inches from each other's face. Both of them charged up their Super Spin Dash attacks and then they launched forwards, causing friction upon collision. Knuckles leapt up and glided to the ground, leaving Sonic to spin uncontrollably towards a tree, but in the nick of time, he stopped before he could crash. Sonic ran towards Knuckles to deliver a strong punch. Knuckles got his punch ready and both hit each other in the face at the same time. Enraged, Knuckles started to punch Sonic in the stomach, catching the hedgehog off guard, and he repeated his punches in succession. Sonic tried to recover, but it was no good as he was powerless. Knuckles then kneed him in the stomach.

Tails could only watch helplessly as the battle heated up. He could tell that Sonic was losing, but there was no way he would be able to intervene, lest he ended up getting hurt by Knuckles as well.

"Oh, dear," he said worryingly. "This is not good. I really hope they would stop soon as there are more pressing matters going on."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the village, Blaze, Jimmy and the dragons have managed to finish cleaning up the mess Knuckles caused. The ground was now free of dropped food and Lily had the plates back in her hut.

"That sure took a while," said Draco as he wiped his brow. "But the job is now done."

"Yes," said Cynder. "Even with so many of us working too, it was no easy matter disposing all the scattered litter."

Blaze looked out to the direction where Tails left with Sonic and Knuckles. She was hoping that they would be okay and that Knuckles would finally see sense and realised the trick he had fell for.

"Somethin' the matter, Blaze?" asked Jakkin.

"It's the three I'm worried," replied Blaze. "For what Tails has told me, he, Sonic and Knuckles worked together many years ago, so it really pains me how there are instances where they just can't get along."

"Hey, it's best that we check on the Chaos Emeralds for a bit," reminded Percival. "Tails wants us to make sure that they are safe and sound, remember?"

"Yes, of course," said Cynder. "Fortunately, Eggman's not around to steal it."

"Oh, but I certainly can," said a voice.

Surprised, the group turned to the direction and saw a shark-like robot standing at the village. Instantly, they recognised him as one of Eggman's Robot Masters.

"I spy with my little eye a pair of Chaos Emeralds," said Sharkinator. "And those two are mine for the taking!"

"Uh-oh," gulped Draco.

* * *

Having dealt so many punches from Knuckles, Sonic regained his ground as he started to get some punches in, and Knuckles was getting some too. Sonic swung towards Knuckles, but the echidna made a backwards flip and glided down behind his opponent.

"Sonic, look out!" cried Tails.

Quickly, Sonic turned around to see Knuckles delivering a Flame Uppercut. He tried to avoid the attack, but he was too late. With a swift blow, Knuckles hit Sonic in the stomach so hard, that he sent him hurtling up into the sky. Sonic fell down and he grabbed onto a tree branch. Feeling battered and bruised from the attack, Sonic hung on for dear life, and he wondered on how strong Knuckles became.

"Man, oh man, Knuckles certainly has been training hard for the last ten years," he said to himself. "I could only look back to our first fight together in the Hidden Palace of Angel Island, and even though he was a tough customer, I have managed to best him before Eggman went ahead and stolen the Master Emerald. I could also remember our second fight in the Mystic Ruins, and he has come a long way since then."

Suddenly, Sonic felt a jerk and then saw that the tree he was hanging was starting to tip over. It became clear to him that Knuckles was the one who cut it down with his fists. When the tree collapsed into an angle, he released the branch and sped down just in time before it crash the ground. This was just the opportunity Knuckles had been waiting for, and when Sonic came within range, he grabbed the hedgehog by the arm, swung him around rapidly, and then threw him into another tree. The force of the throw caused Sonic to crash through several trees, bringing each of them down to the ground. Groaning from the crushing damage, Sonic tried to get up, and he saw Knuckles approaching him with a nasty smirk on his face. He then proceeded to grab Sonic while he was immobilised and he started pounding him like a punching bag.

"What's the matter, Sonic?" he taunted. "Not so fast and cocky anymore, aren't you?"

Knuckles then prepared to deliver the finishing blow, but then, Sonic broke free of his rival's grasp and angrily pounded him repeatedly on his gut before tossing him into a hollow tree.

"Ack!" groaned Knuckles. "Okay, I give! You got me!"

Feeling uncertain about Knuckles' sudden surrender, Sonic made his way to the tree, and before he knew it, Knuckles lunged out of the darkness and held the hedgehog tightly by the neck, causing him to choke and gag. He was about to finish off Sonic once and for all, when without warning, he got kicked from the side, releasing him. Knuckles got up and saw a black hedgehog that resembled Sonic standing where he was.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** That sure was an intense fight between Sonic and Knuckles, and now Shadow steps into the fray! All the while, Blaze and the dragons are in trouble with the third Robot Master. Let's see where this goes from here in the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4: Shadow Steps In

**Chapter 4 – Shadow Steps In**

"No one ever attempts to do away with Sonic as long I'm around!" declared Shadow. "Only I am allowed to do that!"

"Shadow!" gasped Knuckles as he tended to his kicked side. "What are you doing here?"

"Does the word 'intervention' mean anything to you?" Shadow asked. "Because that's what I'm here for, since I've been witnessing the fight between you and Sonic and noticed how you were so close to killing him."

"If you're here to disrupt the fight between Sonic and me, then you've got another thing coming," growled Knuckles. "Why, I might as well fight you next once I'm done with him!"

"Oh, that's not going to happen," said Shadow coolly. "You've done enough work on him as it is, so now it's me you'll have to tend to as I want to get to the bottom of what's this confrontation is all about."

"Shadow…" groaned Sonic as he struggled to get up. "I didn't expect you would show up."

Shadow eyed Sonic. "Leave this to me," he said. "Go and rest with your two-tailed fox friend for the time being. I'll deal with the echidna myself."

"Okay then," said Sonic.

"Sonic, hang on!" called Tails as he hurried to the rescue. "You look like you need some medical attention now. I better take you back to the dragon village."

"That's okay, Tails, I'll be fine," said Sonic. "I want to see for myself Shadow taking on the knucklehead."

"Don't call me knucklehead, you!" snarled Knuckles. "I'll kill you for that!"

"You're fight is with me!" said Shadow as he stepped in front of Knuckles.

Knuckles fumed impatiently, but realised that he could not convince Shadow to step aside so he could continue his fight.

"Alright, fine!" he said angrily. "But just to let you know, I'm not going to go easy, and once we're done, I'm back to dealing with Sonic."

Shadow smirked. "I'd like to see you try," he said. "After all, I am the Ultimate Power."

"Come on, Sonic," insisted Tails. "We really need to get your wounds healed."

"Alright, alright," said Sonic. He then turned to Shadow. "Sock it to him!"

"No problem," replied Shadow. "But don't forget, when I'm done with him and Eggman and once you're fighting fit, it will be you and I!"

Sonic nodded in agreement as he knew that Shadow was yet to settle the score with him, and then he and Tails left the battlefield.

Shadow turned to Knuckles. "Time to get this battle underway!" he declared.

Knuckles pounded his fists. "Fine, if it's going to be you and me, then we'll have our showdown together!" he said. "But you saw how I managed to beat up Sonic, and I can do the same thing to you!"

"Don't you underestimate me," replied Shadow. "Your overconfidence will be your undoing. You may have gotten stronger over the years, but even I have been going through intensive training myself."

Furious, Knuckles readied his fist and made a rush straight for Shadow.

* * *

"Crud!" pouted Bowser, struggling to get up after getting hit by a wayward laser blast. "That Sharkinator is too much for us to handle!"

Blaze, the dragons, and the Kremlings their hardest to stop Sharkinator, but it was no good. Their attacks did very little to hold him at bay, and now they found themselves at his as he had them brought to the ground with no effort and in no time.

"I told you all I'm not to be taken lightly," said Sharkinator. "You are obviously wasting your time trying to prevent me from getting the Chaos Emerald, and you're only prolonging the inevitable."

Cynder frowned. "This is not good," she said. "Even with our combined strength, we're still not enough to put a stop to that Robot Master."

"Where's Sonic when we need him?" asked Draco.

"Sonic won't be showing up to help you this time," said Sharkinator. "Everything is going just as Doctor Eggman has planned. Knuckles will have him incapacitated, leaving the two Chaos Emeralds ready for him to obtain."

"So Eggman has Knuckles fighting Sonic so you can steal the two emeralds," said Blaze. "Why am I not surprised?"

"That was very low of Eggman to do such a thing," remarked Cynder.

"Of course, it is," said Sharkinator. "He is dedicated to wreaking terror and havoc on the planet with his new Death Egg, but you know that already."

"We won't let you take the Chaos Emerald," hissed Torden as he got up. "And we will stop Eggman from conquering the planet!"

"Very foolish move," replied Sharkinator. "And you have nothing to say about it."

Sharkinator knocked Torden backwards, leaving him unconscious.

"Torden!" shrieked Lily as she ran towards his body.

"Now, where were we?" asked Sharkinator, and he looked at the two Chaos Emeralds. "Ah, yes, the doctor needs these."

Sharkinator flew towards the Chaos Emeralds and grasped them in his clutches.

"The emeralds!" shouted Cynder and she sped towards the Robot Master, but he fired a laser blast at her left wing, incapacitating her.

"Cynder, no!" screamed Draco.

"Finders keepers," taunted Sharkinator.

"Excellent work, Sharkinator," said a familiar voice, and in no time, Eggman arrived on the Eggmobile, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the Chaos Emeralds.

"Here are the Chaos Emeralds, doctor," said Sharkinator as he flew towards the Eggmobile. "And I see you have the Master Emerald in your possession as well."

"We're only a few steps away from accomplishing our goal," said Eggman. "With the power of the emeralds, the Death Egg shall be completely indestructible, and there will be no one to stop me this time!"

"You're not going to get away with this, Eggman, you hear me?" bellowed Blaze. "Sonic will come back and set you straight!"

"I'm afraid you're sadly mistaken, cat woman," sneered Eggman. "Knuckles must have already brought an end to the hedgehog as we speak, and I must thank him for his cooperation. Of course, I wouldn't have been able to steal the Master Emerald without him searching for Sonic."

"Just you wait until he discovers the truth of all this," said Blaze. "You're going to be very, very sorry for what you're doing!"

"Not a chance, Blaze," said Eggman. "I am now the victorious one! Before I return to my base with the emeralds, I'll be on my way to check on the battle between Knuckles and Sonic, as I'll be thanking them for making this too easy!"

Laughing maniacally, Eggman and Sharkinator flew off into the forest. Blaze attempted to give chase, but they were gone within seconds.

"Drat, they've gone away!" she pouted. "If only Sonic was here."

"Maybe we should go and see how he and Tails are doing," said Draco. "There's no time to lose, and if we work together, I'm sure we can stop Eggman and get back the Chaos Emeralds."

"Yeah, I suppose we could," said Blaze. "After all, I'm really worried about Tails, and I hope that he's alright."

"Blaze, we're here!" called Tails as he reappeared into the village with a downed Sonic.

"There you are at last, Tails!" exclaimed Blaze. "We're really in a pickle here."

"I pretty much have guessed it," said Tails. "But at the moment, Sonic needs to be healed up first as he has taken quite a beating. Can you go fetch a Max Potion?"

"Will do," said Blaze. She hurried into Cynder's hut and then returned with the potion.

Tails looked at Sonic. "Hang in there, bro," he said. "You'll be back to your usual self in a flash. Just hold still, this will sting a little."

Sonic groaned from the discomforting sensation as Tails sprayed the Max Potion on his wounds, and soon, he felt the pain starting to dissipate.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "I feel as if I could move around again! Thanks a bunch, Tails!"

"Don't mention it," said Tails humbly. "I'm going to also use it on the others."

"So what has happened?" asked Sonic, and he saw that the Chaos Emeralds were missing. "Oh, Eggman, figures."

"Yeah, he and his Robot Master came by and they have made away with the two Chaos Emeralds," said Blaze. "They also got the Master Emerald too."

"Wait until Knuckles learns about this," said Sonic. "Oh, and that reminds me, we better hurry and see how he and Shadow are doing."

"Hold on, so Shadow's fighting Knuckles at the moment?" asked Blaze.

"Yes, of course," said Tails as he came back from healing his friends. "He has offered to deal with him so that Sonic can recover from the battle."

"Then we better make our way as quickly as possible," said Blaze. She turned to the dragons. "Cynder, are you and your team good to go?"

"We are, Blaze," said Cynder.

"I'm coming with you too," said Bowser.

"Splendid," smiled Blaze. She then turned to Jimmy. "Can you take the Daring Dragon Dynamos and the Kremlings back to Kyoto?" she asked. "This is only going to be intense, so it will be for their own good that they don't get involved."

"Sure thing, Blaze," replied Jimmy and he faced the Daring Dragon Dyanmos and the Kremlings. "Well, you heard the cat, you guys. I'll be taking you to the Anthro League where you can rest up for the time being."

Blaze and the dragons watched as Jimmy led the rest of their friends out of the village to the other direction.

"Right," she said. "There's no time to waste! Let's hurry up and take care of Eggman!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Things may be looking grim for our heroes at the moment, but hopefully, they can turn the tide as they race to the battle between Shadow and Knuckles! See you in chapter 5!


	5. Chapter 5: True Colours

**Chapter 5 – True Colours**

The battle raged on as Shadow and Knuckles went head to head with each other. Knuckles tried his hardest to lay a hit on Shadow, but the hedgehog dodged his attacks much more quickly than Sonic. Nevertheless, there was more of a mutual respect between the two as they were greatly impressed by their speed and strength.

"I must say, Knuckles, you certainly have sharpened your fighting style over the years," said Shadow.

"Heh, thanks," said Knuckles. "And you are no slouch yourself, Shadow. Of course, you've always prided yourself on your strength and speed."

"Indeed, I do," replied Shadow. "I'm telling you, I'm powerful enough to knock out to the other side of the forest."

Knuckles snorted. "Yeah, sure, but I'm much more durable and mastered my martial arts through years of rigorous training! Less talk, more fighting!"

"Just when I thought you were giving up," said Shadow, feeling very pleased that the echidna was still eager to fight. "Come on!"

After their brief conversation, Shadow and Knuckles fought each other once again. But no matter how much he tried, Knuckles was unable to land a hit on Shadow, who quickly took control of the battle. He grabbed both of Knuckles' fists, holding him back. The two pushed forwards and backwards in the hopes of overpowering each other. Knuckles continued to persist, but it soon became his biggest mistake as Shadow seized the opportunity to punch him repeatedly in the stomach and then kick him high up into the air. He then gave chase as he leapt from tree to tree reaching the top, and judging his moment as he saw Knuckles crashing to the ground, he took a huge leap and stomped him on back, causing a more violent impact.

The dust settled in time, and Knuckles was planted headfirst in the dirt. Shadow then proceeded to pluck him out from the leg. He smirked as he saw his opponent heavily bruised from the force of the crash, but Knuckles was far from beaten. In the blink of an eye, he surprised Shadow by punching him in the face, which made him release the echidna from his grasp. Panting heavily, he struggled to get up.

Shadow wiped a smudge off his face, feeling rather angry. "That was a cheap shot!" he hissed.

"Well, look who's talking," retorted Knuckles. "I would have said the same with that attack you did to me!"

"How about we wrap this up with our strongest attack?" suggested Shadow.

"You're on!" declared Knuckles.

But just as they were about to finish off their bout, they heard a strange sound, followed by unexpected tremors. Something was coming close.

"What's that?" Knuckles and Shadow wondered.

The answer was Eggman, and he was flying his Eggmobile to the battlefield, carrying the Master Emerald from underneath. He was also accompanied by Sharkinator.

"Bravo Knuckles!" applauded Eggman. "You have fought well against my nemesis, and I certainly could have made you my…" But Eggman paused when he noticed Shadow in Sonic's place. "Wait a minute, you're Shadow!" he said in a state of shock.

"Eggman, what are you doing here?" asked Knuckles. "And why do you have the Master Emerald?"

"I will need it for my dastardly plot," replied Eggman. "You certainly have made it all too easy, my friend, and I must thank you for that."

Knuckles felt puzzled. "Hold on a second, Eggman!" he shouted. "We have made a deal! You promised that you won't be doing anything underhanded while I was going to put a stop to Sonic's shenanigans!"

Eggman grinned maliciously. "I am changing the deal, pray that I don't change any further," he said, and he turned to his Robot Master. "Sharkinator, will you dispose of those two?"

"With pleasure, doctor," said Sharkinator and he readied his laser blasters to open fire on Knuckles and Shadow.

"I knew Eggman preyed on your gullibility yet again, Knuckles," said Shadow. "You should have learned this by now that you can't trust a power-hungry megalomaniacal scumbag like him!"

Knuckles did not answer. He was redder than he was, and he clenched his fists furiously. "That two-faced… dirty… conniving… sneaky… swindling… double-crossing… ugly… son of a bitch!" he spluttered through his gritted teeth. "He has lied to me for the last time!"

"At last you realised Eggman's true colours," said a voice.

"Sonic!" exclaimed Knuckles. "You're back!"

Sure enough, Sonic, Blaze, Tails, and the dragons arrived just in time.

"Hmph, you have recovered fast," said Shadow.

"Thanks for buying the time I needed to regain my strength, Shadow," said Sonic. "Now we shall be ready to put a stop to Eggman."

"Well, well, look who came back," sneered Eggman. "I could have sworn that Knuckles has taken care of you, Sonic, but now I see that he has failed. No matter, Sharkinator will incinerate you all!"

"That's because you set him up, like you always do, Egghead," Sonic answered back. "And we're not going to be intimated by that shark robot of yours!"

"Is that right?" snorted Eggman. "Perhaps maybe his barrage of attacks will make you realise just how terrifying he can be!"

Sharkinator swooped downward, and began perforating the battlefield with multiple rounds of laser blasts, sending everyone scurrying and ducking to avoid getting hit.

"We've got to stop that Robot Master," said Cynder.

"Yes, but he has gotten us in a bind," replied Draco.

"Let me take care of those two, you guys!" shouted Knuckles. "I have a score to settle with Eggman!"

"Wait, Knuckles!" called Tails.

But Knuckles raced through the laser blasts and leapt up towards Sharkinator.

Eggman noticed him. "It's Knuckles!" he growled. "Sharkinator, incapacitate that worm!"

Sharkinator stopped firing and focused on Knuckles, who came flying upward with his fist ready to strike. In response, the robot lowered his head and charged towards Knuckles, resulting in a head-on collision. Knuckles the Echidna was sent sailing to the ground, and he crashed into a tree unconscious. Eggman laughed maniacally as he watched contemptuously at the sight of his fallen foe.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** At last Knuckles realises Eggman's treachery and tries to help out, even though he failed. The end of the battle is near!


	6. Chapter 6: Learn From Your Mistakes

**Chapter 6 – Learn From Your Mistakes  
**

"Oh, no, Knuckles!" shouted Sonic, and he raced to check on the fallen Knuckles. The dragons seized the moment to attack Sharkinator while he stopped firing.

Knuckles struggled to get up, but he was unable to move.

"That really hurts," he groaned.

"Just relax there, buddy," said Sonic. "You had quite a nasty fall in addition to being rammed by the Robot Master."

"Sonic," said Knuckles slowly. "I don't know what to say, I feel like such a fool to believe in Eggman's lies about you. Please, do whatever it takes to defeat him, and get back the Master Emerald. Without it, the Angel Island will lose its ability to float and it will be in jeopardy."

"We'll do our best, Knuckles," said Sonic.

Knuckles smiled faintly and rested as he watched Sonic return to the battle with Shadow and the dragons.

"Shall we get the show on the road and put an end to Eggman?" asked Shadow.

"Yes, we will," said Sonic. "He is going to pay for what he did to Knuckles, and we'll try to get the emeralds from him once and for all!"

"You fools are wasting your time and effort!" laughed Eggman. "Sharkinator can easily mop the floor with you!"

"We shall see about that!" declared Sonic. "Are all of you ready?"

"Ready when you are!" replied Shadow and the dragons.

Tails, Blaze and Darky looked on away from the battlefield as they stood by next to Knuckles, anxiously hoping that the team will defeat Eggman.

"Come on, Sonic!" called Tails. "You and the team can do it!"

"We're counting on you, Sonic!" Blaze joined in. "Give that Eggman what he deserves!"

"Give him hell, Sonic!" called Knuckles.

"Draco! Cynder! Show that robot what you're made of!" added Darky.

Sonic and Shadow boldly faced Eggman, who stared down at them and the dragons with extreme disdain.

"I'm warning you," growled Eggman. "You are all signing your death warrant! Sharkinator, dispose of them, and show no mercy!"

"They will be taken care of, doctor," replied Sharkinator, and igniting his jets, he sped towards the team. "All of you better surrender if you don't want to get hurt."

"We won't surrender!" declared Cynder. "We shall finish you off!"

"Very well, then," said Sharkinator. "But this battle will be your last."

"I doubt it, Sharkinator," replied Sonic. "Let's see how you can take us all out at once!"

Sharkinator dashed towards the group, but Sonic and Shadow quickly zipped around him, while the dragons attacked from all sides, confounding the Robot Master. Draco and Bowser used their fire breath attacks which did some considerable damage to him, followed by Cynder and Ash perforating him with a barrage of plasma bursts. Percival, Jakkin and Lily delivered physical blows, and finally Torden used his electric attacks. Although Sharkinator endured the assault, he was starting to short circuit. Sonic and Shadow saw the opportunity to finally down the Robot Master, and they rammed him with their Super Spin Dash.

"Curse you hedgehogs!" snarled Eggman. "The both of you and the lizards are going to regret this!"

"Not a chance, doc!" said Sonic confidently. "You're going down, one way or another! There's no way you can be victorious!"

But just as the team thought they had defeated Sharkinator, the robot slowly got up. He was still shooting sparks, but he was not completely down. This left Sonic, Shadow and the dragons shocked and disbelieved.

"How could this be?" asked Shadow. "That robot had taken a lot of damage! There's no way he can be able to recover that easily!"

Eggman laughed nastily. "Ha! Just like I told you!" he gloated. "Sharkinator is a lot more durable and resilient than the last two Robot Masters you have destroyed, so all of your combined efforts won't be enough to take him out!"

Even so, the doctor was rather worried. _Sharkinator may still have plenty of steam,_ he thought. _But he is on the verge of malfunctioning, so I can't force him into continuing the fight with Sonic and his friends. It looks like I'm going to have to return to the lab and repair him so he can be much stronger that he is now…_

"What are we going to do, Sonic?" wondered Percival. "That Robot Master clearly isn't going to go down without a fight."

"Not to worry," said Sonic. "Look at him, he may not be down, but he's shorting, so I think we have found a weakness to finally beat the robot."

"If you think you are going to win that easily, then think again!" declared Eggman as he took out a strange metallic ball. "I say that this battle will end in a draw for now, so have some fun with this!"

Laughing menacingly, Eggman tossed the ball down into the battlefield.

"A bomb!" panicked Lily. "Quick! Duck for cover!"

Sonic, Shadow, and the dragons scattered away and prepared for the worst, but upon landing, the ball burst open, unleashing a cloud of smoke that billowed everywhere. After the smoke cleared, the team realised that they were not in any real peril, but they were rather confused. When they checked the battlefield, Eggman and Sharkinator were nowhere in sight.

"They're gone," said Draco.

"It seems as if Eggman had decided to postpone the fight," said Cynder. "I wonder why."

"That's the least of our worries," pouted Sonic. "He has all the Chaos Emeralds, including the Master Emerald, and now he has gotten away with them! This is not good!"

"We're going to have to get them back from him," added Shadow. "But doing so will not be an easy task."

Knuckles made his way towards Sonic, feeling very guilty of what has recently been transpired. All eyes were on him, and the dragons felt very wary, believing that he might try to attack them. Sonic turned to face Knuckles, and he was just as remorseful.

"Sonic…" began Knuckles, much to the dragons' surprise.

"Knuckles, I really am sorry," said Sonic. "I let Eggman escape with the Master Emerald. I've failed on our attempt to get it back from him."

"No, Sonic, I'm the one who's sorry," said Knuckles. "I should have known Eggman was up to no good again, and I let myself get manipulated by him…"

"At least now you realised your mistake," said Shadow. "We can only hope that you'll learn from it and never fall for his lies ever again."

"I'm going to try my best this time," replied Knuckles slowly. "For now, I'm going to head off on my own."

"Wait, aren't you going to help us?" asked Draco. "Surely we could use your help since you've inadvertently caused this mess."

"Absolutely agree," said Torden. "Even if we might not be friends for the time being, it always helps to have allies among us."

"No, that will be fine," said Knuckles. "I really need to gather my thoughts so I can try to get my act together. See you later, everyone."

With that, the echidna left silently and solemnly while everyone looked on.

Sonic grinned. "That's our Knuckles," he said. "He has so much pride in his own independence."

"You really are taking this well, Sonic," said Percival.

"He seemed like a rude and egotistical jerk," snorted Jakkin. "I don't understand how you, Tails and Blaze could put up with such attitude."

"Oh, you guys don't know Knuckles better than we do," said Sonic. "He may appear as an unfriendly dude, but deep down inside, he has a heart and comes through for us whenever the situation gets dire."

"Well, that is reassuring," said Jakkin sarcastically.

"Now that we know what our new objective is, we better start making plans in order to thwart Eggman's goal," said Cynder. "Surely with Shadow's help, we might have a better chance in saving the world."

"Actually, I'm not going to hang around with you guys," said Shadow. "I was only here to stop Knuckles from killing Sonic, for my own reasons."

"You haven't changed a bit, Shadow," said Sonic. "One of these days, we will have our fight."

Shadow smirked. "And I'll be the one who comes on top, don't you forget that!" he said and he dashed off.

The others looked on, while Sonic could only smile.

"That's another one gone," said Torden. "Why don't we head back to the village now?"

"Good idea," said Tails. "We've left it out there with no one looking after it."

"In that case, let's get back as quickly as possible," said Bowser. "Hurry up, everyone!"

"Um, wait guys," said Ash.

"What is it, Ash?" asked Cynder.

"I've made up my mind and decided that I'd like to be solo for now," replied Ash. "Hanging out with you guys is cool and all, but it's not really my style as I'm more of a lone wolf, if you know what I mean. I'll be sure to drop by at your village from time to time, though, and I can try my best to help out whenever you guys need me."

At first, Cynder was about to object, but seeing how Ash had good intentions, she nodded understandingly. "If that's what you want, Ash, then by all means, you're free to follow your heart."

"Thanks, Cynder," smiled Ash. "I'll always appreciate and remember what you've taught me these last few months."

So after saying their goodbyes the team watched Ash disappear into the forest, and then they returned to the village. With Eggman having possession of the seven Chaos Emeralds and Master Emerald, they knew they will have to give it their all to stop him as soon as possible.

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

This was surely an action-packed story! But there's still more to come as we're getting close to the halfway point of this set! The mission to get the Chaos Emeralds from Eggman has become much more serious than ever, and the team will need all the help they can get! See you next time!


End file.
